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| 1981 NHL DRAFT PICK |
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Hannu Virta
Selected in
second round
No. 38 overall by Buffalo Sabres
Born
March 22, 1963
 | Position:
Defense
Height: 6-0 Weight: 175
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| BEFORE THE DRAFT |
Last Team:
Turku TPS (Finland)
Birthplace: Turku, Finland
Hometown:
Turku, Finland |
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| PRE-DRAFT
STATISTICS | | Year |
Team | League |
GP | G |
A | TP |
PIM | | 1978-79 |
Turku TPS | Finland Jr. |
22 | 1 |
9 | 10 |
6 | | 1979-80 |
Turku TPS | Finland Jr. |
-- | -- |
-- | -- |
-- | | 1980-81 |
Turku TPS | Finland Jr. |
29 | 22 |
22 | 44 |
55 | | |
Turku TPS | Finland |
1 | 0 |
1 | 1 |
0 |
|
PRE-DRAFT AWARDS AND HONORS
European Junior Championships: 1981 (fourth place)
European Junior Championships All-Star First Team: 1981
Miscellaneous: Suspended by Finland's SM-Liiga for part of 1980-81 season
due to his overly rough play. |
| NHL CAREER |
Debut: March 30, 1982 (Buffalo at Quebec)
Numbers:
23, 3 (Buffalo)
Stanley Cup: Never won. Playing Status:
Retired 1998 |
| CAREER NHL STATISTICS | | Years |
Teams | GP |
G | A |
TP | PIM | | 1982-1986 |
Buffalo | 245 |
25 | 101 |
126 | 66 |
|
| CAREER NHL PLAYOFF STATISTICS | | Years |
Teams | GP |
G | A |
TP | PIM | | 1982-1984 |
Buffalo | 17 |
1 | 3 |
4 | 6 |
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NHL
AWARDS AND HONORS
Miscellaneous: Had assist in his first NHL game and was named game's No. 3
star. ... Was first European player to earn full-time roster spot with
Buffalo. ... Missed part of 1982-83 season with groin injury, suffered during
Buffalo's Feb. 12, 1983, game at Calgary. ... Missed parts of 1983-84 season
with hand injury, suffered in November 1983, and with stretched knee
ligaments, an injury suffered in January 1984. ... Missed part of 1985-86
season with knee injury, suffered during Buffalo's Jan. 27, 1986, game at
Montreal. ... Was represented by agent Bob Beale during his NHL playing days.
... Played out option with Buffalo in 1985-86 and became a restricted free
agent, but chose to return to Finland and complete his military obligation
rather than continue NHL career because he was unhappy with the Sabres. |
| NON-NHL CAREER |
Post-Draft Teams: Turku TPS (Finland); Zurich
(Switzerland)
Olympics: 1994 (bronze medal)
Canada Cup: 1987
(sixth place)
World Cup of Hockey: 1996 (fifth place)
World Championships: 1987 (fifth
place), 1989 (fifth place), 1991 (fifth place),
1994 (silver medal), 1995 (gold medal), 1996 (fifth place), 1997 (fifth place),
2003 (5-8 place) (as assistant coach)
World Junior Championships: 1982
(bronze medal)
NON-NHL
AWARDS AND HONORS
Finnish Hockey
Hall of Fame: Inducted 2003
Finland Championship:
1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1999 (assistant coach), 2000 (assistant coach), 2001
(assistant coach) (Turku TPS)
Finland Rautakallio Trophy (Best
Defenseman): 1986-87, 1988-89, 1989-90, 1990-91 (Turku TPS)
Finland
Wasama Trophy (Rookie of Year): 1981-82 (Turku TPS)
Finland All-Star First Team: 1986-87, 1988-89, 1989-90, 1990-91,
1991-92 (Turku TPS)
Coaching Career: Named Turku TPS (Finland) assistant coach prior to
1998-99 season and remained in that position until April 14, 2003. ... Named Espoo (Finland)
co-head coach on April 14,2003, and remained in that
position into 2003-04 season.
Miscellaneous: Spoke no English
when he arrived in Buffalo in 1982. ... Shared apartment with Buffalo teammates
Mike Moller during 1982-83 season and with
Dave Andreychuk during 1983-84 season. |
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|
SNAPSHOT '81 | | Total Selected: |
211 | | Forwards: |
119 | | Defense: |
67 | | Goaltenders: |
25 | | Major Junior: |
122 | | Tier II/Jr. B: |
10/4 | | College Players: |
21 | | High School: |
18 |
| Canadian: |
139 |
| Euro-Canadian: |
3 | | USA Citizens: |
37 | | U.S.-Born: |
36 |
| European: |
32 |
| Reached NHL: |
114 |
| Stanley Cup: |
17 | | Hall of Fame: |
2 |
| All-Star Game: |
14 |
| Year-end All-Star: |
7 |
| Olympians: |
30 |
| Picks Traded: |
38 |
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